San Tan Mountain Regional Park covers more than 10,000 acres of lower Sonoran Desert just south of Queen Creek, from creosote flats to dense saguaro forest. Nine trails, all shared by hikers, riders and bikes, from the central valley to the climb over Goldmine Mountain.
Park entrance: 6533 W. Phillips Rd., Queen Creek. From central Phoenix, I-10 east to US 60 east, Ellsworth Road south to Hunt Highway, east on Hunt Highway to Thompson Road, south on Thompson, then west on Phillips Road to the park.
Check before you go. The county posts closures and trail updates on the park's page.
San Tan Mountain Regional Park is outlined in orange. The other county parks are outlined in blue. Tap any park for its size and a link to its county page.
San Tan Mountain Regional Park Other county parks
Park boundaries are the official Maricopa County Parks and Recreation GIS boundary layer, retrieved 7 October 2026. Street map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
The park sits just south of the Maricopa and Pinal county line, in Pinal County, and Maricopa County Parks and Recreation runs it. It was established in 1986 through a cooperative agreement between Maricopa County, Pinal County and the Bureau of Land Management.
Goldmine Mountain anchors the north of the park, and the San Tan Mountain escarpment runs along the south. The southern trails look out over the Malpais Hills. The Hohokam lived here between about A.D. 1100 and 1450 and left rockpile fields used to grow agave. In the 1940s two prospectors, Mansel Carter and Marion Kennedy, mined these mountains for gold, silver and turquoise. Their graves are near the Goldmine Trailhead.
Ranked from easiest to hardest. The level comes from the county's own rating, and a trail goes up a level if the county rates any section of it harder than the rest. Within each level, trails are ordered by elevation change, then length. Lengths are one way, as the county lists them.
| # | Trail | County rating | Length | Elevation change | Use | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | ||||||
| 1 | Littleleaf Trail | Easy | 0.7 mi | 85 ft | Hike, bike, horse | North of the San Tan Trailhead, connects to the Goldmine Trail. Part of the Maricopa Trail. |
| 2 | Stargazer Trail | Easy | 0.8 mi | 88 ft | Hike, bike, horse | Through the park's central valley, meeting the Moonlight and San Tan Trails. |
| Intermediate | ||||||
| 3 | Rock Peak Wash Trail | Moderate | 0.9 mi | 93 ft | Hike, bike, horse | Wash trail. Subject to flash flooding; loose sand. |
| 4 | Hedgehog Trail | Moderate | 1.0 mi | 126 ft | Hike, bike, horse | Hedgehog cacti along the way. Meets the San Tan Trail at two points. |
| 5 | Moonlight Trail | Moderate | 1.3 mi | 131 ft | Hike, bike, horse | Starts at the San Tan Trailhead near the Nature Center. Part of the Maricopa Trail. |
| 6 | Dynamite Trail | Moderate | 2.4 mi | 288 ft | Hike, bike, horse | Along the side of Goldmine Mountain. Part of the Maricopa Trail. |
| Advanced | ||||||
| 7 | Malpais Trail | Moderate to difficult | 4.1 mi | 202 ft | Hike, bike, horse | Along the base of the Malpais Hills. The southern portion runs in a wash subject to flash flooding; loose sand. |
| 8 | San Tan Trail | Moderate to difficult | 6.4 mi | 234 ft | Hike, bike, horse | Covers a large part of the park and crosses other trails at several points. North of the Moonlight junction it is part of the Maricopa Trail. |
| 9 | Goldmine Trail | Difficult | 2.5 mi | 541 ft | Hike, bike, horse | The highest point on any park trail, roughly 2,300 feet. North of the Littleleaf junction it is part of the Maricopa Trail. |
Source: Maricopa County Parks and Recreation trail data and the park's trail table, retrieved 10 October 2026. No trail has a section rated harder than its overall rating. Short visitor paths at the Nature Center, spurs and connectors are left out. The county rates trails at least one level harder in hot or humid months. The county's printable park and trail map (PDF) shows every trail and trailhead.
The county's advice: carry plenty of water, protect yourself from the sun, and tell someone where you are going. In hot or humid months the county rates every trail at least one level harder.
Rock Peak Wash and the southern end of the Malpais Trail run in washes subject to flash flooding. Skip them when storms are in the forecast, and expect loose sand.
Nov 1 to Apr 30: 8am to 4pm daily. May 1 to Oct 31: 7am to 2pm, Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday. Wildlife displays, a wildlife pond, desert tortoise and chuckwalla enclosures, and restrooms.
Picnic tables near the Visitor Center, the Nathan Martens Arizona Memorial and the San Tan Trailhead, first come, first served. The memorial honors soldiers who fell in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Every trail is shared, and a horse staging area serves riders. Expect riders and bikes, and yield accordingly. Dogs stay on a leash of 6 feet or less.
Javelina, coyotes and Gila monsters are among the wildlife here. Ranger-led hikes and programs are on the county calendar.
If a mountain park within a short drive is part of what you want nearby, I can tell you which Southeast Valley neighborhoods put you closest to one like this.
Address, hours, Nature Center hours, size, elevation range and the setting: Maricopa County Parks and Recreation, San Tan Mountain Regional Park, with its history, hiking, biking, horseback riding, picnicking, directions and park rules pages. Acreage, trail descriptions, the 1986 establishment and day-use status: the county's park and trail map, dated 6 April 2026. Entry fees: Maricopa County Parks fee schedule. Trail lengths, ratings and elevation change: the park's trail table and Maricopa County GIS trail data (Trail By Name and Trail By Segment layers). Rating seasons: the county's trail rating page. Park boundaries: Maricopa County GIS Park Boundary layer. All checked 10 October 2026. Fees, hours and closures change, so confirm with the park before you go.